The real heiress is a fortune teller; her divinations are worth a fortune, and the whole internet is

It's the portrait that Xiao Chen placed in the coffin!

[Case solved! Case solved! The portrait depicts a celestial maiden, even the clothes she's wearing are identical!]

[As expected of an emperor, he's incredibly audacious. Not only did he defy societal norms to marry a celestial maiden, but he also wanted to take her portrait into his tomb.]

[So, the empty space in the double coffin in the imperial tomb wasn't reserved for a celestial maiden, was it?]

[Has Xiao Chen already decided at this point that he wants to be buried with the celestial maiden after his death?]

[It feels like both of them died young; didn't Xiao Chen, who emerged from the coffin, look like a young man?]

[Right, if Xiao Chen gained immortality because of the jade pendant, what about the celestial maiden? Could she have gained immortality as well?]

Very likely.

The celestial maiden looked at him quietly. "Your Majesty, I have cooperated with you. Could you please allow me to return to Jade Mountain? There are matters in the clan that require my attention. I will not be gone for long and will return soon."

The celestial maiden was indeed unusually cooperative today. Although Xiao Chen was reluctant for her to leave him so far, he still nodded, "Go early and come back early. I will have someone pick you up and drop you off."

"Yes."

The celestial maiden turned around and touched the box that had been quietly hidden in her sleeve with one hand.

According to the rules, no one except the emperor is allowed to enter Jade Mountain. Even the guards sent by Xiao Chen can only wait at the foot of the mountain.

The people of Yushan lined the road to welcome the Heavenly Maiden back, but there was something different in their eyes.

That makes sense. No matter how secluded the Celestial Maidens are, they are not completely isolated from the world. They have heard the rumors circulating outside.

A celestial maiden marrying an emperor is absolutely forbidden.

This is a grave sin within the clan.

In the eyes of her people, the celestial maiden is now more accurately described as a sinner.

"Heavenly Maiden, are you really with His Majesty?"

The visitor is not good.

"How can a celestial maiden be with His Majesty? This is a sin!"

"What right do you have to interfere in the affairs of the Heavenly Maiden?" Nan Sheng reprimanded coldly.

It had little effect; on the contrary, the dissatisfaction among the tribesmen intensified.

"Celestial maidens are demigods, with divine blood flowing through their veins. How can they be with mortals? The celestial maiden clan will be punished by heaven!"

"The celestial maiden must never marry His Majesty!"

"Absolutely not!"

The celestial maiden stood in the ancestral hall of Jade Mountain. Before her were the memorial tablets of all the celestial maidens of the celestial maiden clan in the past, and those tablets seemed to be criticizing the delusions in her heart.

Is Xiao Chen's affections truly one-sided?

She couldn't give an answer.

"Please rest assured, I will not marry His Majesty."

"How can the Heavenly Maiden guarantee anything? What if His Majesty forces us to marry? We would still be punished by Heaven."

On the altar of the Heavenly Maiden Shrine sits a long sword, a weapon that the first patriarch of the Heavenly Maiden clan received from the gods.

It was also the weapon Xiao Chen used to commit suicide, as prophesied.

The celestial maiden's slender hand caressed the sword's blade. "I said no, and I mean no. Your Majesty can't just marry a corpse."

The clansmen were in uproar.

What does the celestial maiden mean by this? Is she going to commit suicide?

No!

[It's just two people getting married, is it really that serious? Does it have to come to this?]

"Heavenly Maiden," Nan Sheng dismissed all the clansmen.

"There's no time to say anything more, let's go find the Grand Elder first," the Heavenly Maiden withdrew her hand and turned to walk to the other side.

The First Elder was very old, older than the Heavenly Maiden's grandmother, and the longest-lived of that group of elders. His cloudy, aged eyes were slightly open, and he was barely breathing.

The elder sat cross-legged on the futon, quietly waiting for the celestial maiden to approach.

The celestial maiden lifted her magnificent skirt and knelt down. "The celestial maiden greets the Grand Elder."

"Peace," the elder's voice was hoarse and low, and it was not very clear; one had to listen carefully to understand what he was saying.

The celestial maiden stood tall and straight, and took out the box from her sleeve. "Elder, I found this in the palace on my way here."

She opened the box and placed it in front of the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder didn't even pick it up, yet he knew what it was. "You still found it."

"The Grand Elder knows what this is, and he also knows that the passage to Yushan South Garden leads to the sealed place of the evil god."

Nan Sheng was completely confused.

The Grand Elder opened his mouth slightly and said, "I know. There is a fierce god sealed beneath the capital. Only the emperor and the celestial maiden can enter this seal. However, there is another seal at the very innermost layer."

I knew this when I took over the position of elder; the Pisces Jade Pendant was a gift from the gods to the Xiao family, and no one has used it until now.

"Why?" the celestial maiden asked, puzzled.

The Grand Elder chuckled, "Longevity is sometimes not a blessing, but a curse. A short life is not necessarily a bad thing."

The celestial maiden had no time to think further. "Elder, I made a prophecy for His Majesty. In the prophecy, His Majesty committed suicide, and the Heavenly Palace was punished by Heaven and destroyed."

Nan Sheng couldn't believe her ears. No wonder the Heavenly Maiden had been acting strangely lately; had she foreseen such a terrifying future?

Needless to say, the Grand Elder knew what the Heavenly Maiden was planning: "You want to use yourself to end all of this and prevent the future destruction of the kingdom."

The celestial maiden remained silent, yet her stance was already clear.

There's another urgent matter. "Elder, His Majesty has been behaving very strangely since returning from the sealed land, quite different from before. Do you know why?"

The Grand Elder's brow furrowed, and he raised his eyelids solemnly, asking, "You...have returned from the sealed land?"

"Yes," the celestial maiden met the Grand Elder's deep eyes, her heart skipping a beat with unease. "Is something wrong?"

The elder sighed deeply, "When the Xiao clan's ancestor was chosen by the gods, he promised the gods that he would do his duty. But everyone has a dark side. The Xiao clan's ancestor did not want his descendants to break this duty, so the gods extracted a part of the Xiao clan's soul and suppressed it in a seal along with the evil god."

The celestial maiden understood, "It's a hidden arrow."

What is a hidden arrow?

[A mini-lesson in metaphysics is now in session. Attention, students!]

Taoism believes that humans possess three souls and seven spirits. The seven spirits are respectively called Corpse Dog, Hidden Arrow, Sparrow Yin, Devouring Thief, Non-Poison, Purifying, and Stinky Lung, corresponding to the seven emotions. Among them, Hidden Arrow represents evil thoughts.

Therefore, it can be said that the Xiao family are all people with incomplete souls.

People with incomplete souls usually don't live long. No wonder when I read the biographies of the Xiao family compiled by the Heavenly Maiden, all the emperors in them died young.

What were they after? They became emperors but died young and never got to enjoy their lives.

[It's to better suppress the evil spirit. If that evil spirit gets out, the whole world will suffer.]

So, it was because the two of them accidentally entered the sealed land that Xiao Chen's soul returned to his body, causing his personality to change drastically?

[But that doesn't make sense. The Xiao clan's ancestors also went to the sealed land before, so why were they unharmed?]

The celestial maiden's eyes darted around, then she was stunned. "It's because the seal has loosened that a part of His Majesty's soul has escaped."

The Grand Elder nodded stiffly. "There is only one possibility, Heavenly Maiden, you must be careful. The sealed evil god will gradually weaken, while human evil may increase day by day."

The arrow that escaped from the seal is a fusion of the evil of each emperor. It no longer belongs solely to Your Majesty; it has become something that is fused into Your Majesty's body, yet is completely different from Your Majesty. Soon, the Your Majesty you know will completely disappear.

That was when His Majesty faced the true catastrophe of the Heavenly Palace.

Oh my god! The evil of over twenty generations has been condensed into one person; this isn't human, it's a demon!

"Then, wouldn't Xiao Chen be doomed?"

[Oh no, does one of these two have to die? My CP can't have a sad ending!]

The celestial maiden was completely bewildered. What should she do?

Nan Sheng looked at her with some concern.

The celestial maiden handed the Pisces to Nan Sheng, saying, "Nan Sheng, this silk scroll should be hidden in two parts. You keep one copy, and your uncle keeps the other. Don't let anyone else know about it."

"Rest assured, Heavenly Maiden, Nan Sheng will definitely do it," Nan Sheng solemnly accepted the jade pendant and put it away.

It's getting late.

"Goddess, Goddess!"

Yunlan, who had not appeared until the guards came to urge her to return to the palace, hurriedly arrived, carrying a box of treasures in her hands.